Student Information

General Benefits

• Easier transition to full-time college experience.
• Early college and career exposure and exploration.
• Earning a college degree or certificate faster via HCC.
• Economic advantage; overall lower college costs/debt.

Heartland Benefits

• After enrollment, you can get an HCC student ID card to receive special college student discounts and access student spaces on HCC's main campus.

• Connect w/the early college opportunities team on our main campus (Normal, IL) to get your free ID card and Heartland-College NOW items (while supplies last). We'll also answer any questions you have about being a College NOW student and beyond!

• Work with the HCC Tutoring Services Center for help with your HCC and/or high school classes. You can connect with a tutor online by dropping into the Virtual Help Lab.
  

• Connect with student access and accommodation services (SAAS) for your documented accommodation requests, such as an individualized education plan (IEP).

• Engage with Success Coaching to help you get on track!

• Discover how to start a pathway toward a particular college certificate or degree through College NOW Plus Pipeline. 

It depends...

• HCC courses offered through our early college partner locations, taught by qualified high school district instructors, are tuition-free. (Note: Some high schools may charge student fees.)
• When you take HCC courses on campus or online, in addition to or outside of our early college partnerships, you must pay current HCC tuition and fees.
  • Course-specific fees vary per course and are noted on the Heartland course schedule.  

Other Potential Costs

• Initial placement testing is free; ALEX math re-testing costs $5. 
• Required textbooks/materials listed on your course syllabus.
• Official Heartland transcripts cost $5 each. (via HCC Records)

It's Easy...

• First, you must successfully submit the Heartland student application. It takes 5-10 minutes.
• Next, you must complete HCC placement testing or submit other eligible test scores.
  • Placement testing is not required for HCC courses offered through our partner career centers.

*Note: Check with your counselor for admission & enrollment deadlines to take HCC courses offered through our partner high schools.

myHeartland
First-time Access or Forgotten Passwords

Find your HCC log-in information on the top-right side of your welcome letter, then follow these steps:

1. Go to my.heartland.edu 
2. Choose Manage My Password
3. Choose Create or Reset Password
4. Enter your login name 
5. Enter your date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY)
6. Enter the last 4 digits of your SSN
7. Enter your 7-digit HCC ID # (include the 0) 

Still having trouble? Email HCC IT staff or call 309-268-8380.
Or, can't find your welcome letter? Email Angie Carson, HCC Admissions Coordinator.

Canvas

If you are enrolled in Heartland's system to receive college credit, you can log in to Canvas using your HCC account credentials. For help, email hcctlc@heartland.edu or go to our Teaching & Learning Commons Resources page. 

• If you are enrolled in a dual credit course for high school credit only through your high school, your high school instructor or counselor will request Canvas information and provide login instructions if necessary for the Heartland course(s) you are enrolled in through your high school.

How long has it been?

It could take 3 to 5 business days for HCC Admissions to process your application and send your welcome letter.

• Application processing could take longer during high-volume times OR if an error is detected with the information entered on your application (e.g., incorrect SSN, birth date, or high school graduation date).

Your HCC welcome letter will automatically go to the email address you enter on your application. 

• Be sure to check your spam/junk filter. Students with Gmail accounts should also check the Promotions folder. Need your welcome letter re-sent? Email Angie Carson, HCC Admissions Coordinator.

It depends...

• Taking HCC courses through one of our early college partner locations? Go through the registration process at your high school and work with your counselor if you need help.
  • We will enroll you based on the dual credit rosters submitted by your school or center.
• Taking HCC courses on campus or online? See instructions for College NOW Campus Students or College NOW Plus Pipeline Students.   

Wait...

• For courses offered through our early college partner locations, talk to your counselor to see how this impacts your high school schedule and graduation requirements.
• If you are an Early College Scholar (COUNTRY or State Farm) OR Homeschool student, email collegenow@heartland.edu. 

Drop/Withdrawal Instructions

Log into my.heartland.edu and follow these instructions:

• Select Student Center, then enter your username and password.
• Choose the Manage Classes option; you should see Drop Classes in the left panel to continue the process.   
• Click on the term header (i.e., Fall 2022, Spring 2023) to view your currently enrolled courses and select the appropriate course(s) for drop or withdrawal. 

*Review refund information, and be mindful of Heartland's drop deadlines each semester.

Log into myHeartland 

Access my.heartland.edu to check your HCC email account for important updates, easily access student support services, schedule placement testing appointments (if necessary), confirm your enrollment status, and review class information! 

Once logged in, you can choose:

• My Mail to review the messages we send to your myHeartland email account. 
• Student Center to view your HCC course enrollment/schedule & tuition bill (if applicable).
• My Classes to access detailed information posted by your instructor(s), especially if your course is being taught online by an HCC instructor.

Locate Courses in Canvas

If applicable, you can access detailed course information by logging directly into our learning management system (LMS), which is Canvas, at canvas.heartland.edu. 

• All HCC courses offered on-campus/online and taught by HCC instructors used Canvas. The course typically becomes available to students five days before the start of each semester.
  • Some HCC courses taught by high school instructors at high school locations also use Canvas, but some do not. Check the HCC syllabus your instructor provides for details.
  • Take the time to review the Canvas 100 Orientation & Support before your class(es) start if your course is online or if your instructor chooses to use Canvas for course content.

Both provide opportunities for students to earn college credit while in high school. The difference is:

• Dual credit courses are college courses, appear on your college transcript as college courses, and confer college credit upon successful completion of the course

• Advanced Placement courses are high school courses for which you do not receive college credit unless you achieve the required score on the test at the end of the course.

Four-year colleges and universities routinely accept both dual credit and advanced placement course credit, but as with any transfer credit, check with your particular school to see how your credits will apply.

*HCC does award college course credit for some high school AP courses (PDF).

The state of Illinois defines those terms as follows:

• Dual Credit: Qualified high school students earn high school and college credit upon [successful] completion. Your high school counselor's approval is required for you to participate.
• Dual Enrollment: Qualified high school students earn only college credit upon [successful] completion. Approval from your school counselor is not required for you to earn college credit for Heartland courses you enroll in, in addition to or outside of our early college partner locations.

Continue At HCC

Completing HCC courses through College NOW means you are already on an accelerated path to earning a college degree or certificate! Why not continue your collegiate experience as a Heartland Hawk before transferring to another college or entering the workforce full-time?!

• Your College NOW student profile will be discontinued after your high school graduation date - but don't worry!
• Simply resubmit the Heartland application, but this time as a returning student, you'll keep the same HCC log-in credentials and email address: heartland.edu/application

Transfer Elsewhere

• We are a part of the Illinois Articulation Initiative, which means our general education courses are widely accepted across many Illinois colleges/universities. You can find out more information about that at itransfer.org/aboutiai
• HCC career-technical education and elective courses may transfer to other colleges/universities in a variety of ways.
• Since transfer information per school can frequently change and could also depend on your major, contacting the registrar at the colleges or universities you are considering is the most reliable way to confirm how the HCC courses you've taken will transfer. However, you may also find the following links to be useful for your transfer efforts:
  • transferology.com
  • heartland.edu/advisement/transfer/articulation.html
  • heartland.edu/advisement/transfer/agreements.html    

Access College Transcripts

• You can download/print a copy of your unofficial transcript instantly from your Student Center. This document will walk you through how to access the unofficial transcript.

• If you intend to transfer your Heartland credits to another college/university, you can request your official transcript after your last HCC course at heartland.edu/records/requestTranscripts.
  • It is important to note that official college transcripts are used to determine your eligibility for financial aid. So, if you will continue your education after high school graduation and plan to seek financial aid, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress. The three main areas are outlined in Heartland’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.